The nature of work has changed significantly in the last decade, and it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. According to this recent Forbes article on collaboration software, 60% of companies surveyed plan to implement some sort of team collaboration software in the next year alone. This makes sense, considering that team collaboration has grown increasingly important over the years, especially as we move towards more virtual teams with more virtual relationships. In light of this trend, here are 10 tips for improving team collaboration in 2022 and beyond.
1) Introduce Meetings
Meetings are one of those things that make us sigh because they’re so frequently not worth our time. The average meeting costs a company $37 per hour in salaries alone, and workers spend three to four hours every week sitting through useless meetings. Yet studies show that teamwork is crucial for success, which means we have to find ways to improve team collaboration even if it means (gulp) more meetings. Here are some tips you can use to reduce time spent on meetings and increase time spent collaborating in teams.
2) Use Team Collaboration Software
Team collaboration software such as Troop Messenger, Trello and Basecamp allow teams to keep track of what’s being worked on and who’s working on it. For example, Trello is a handy way to keep up with your team’s progress on projects because it allows you to create boards for each team member and assign cards (containing tasks) to one or more members. This lets you see at a glance how many tasks are left to do and who’s still working on them. A similar feature called a Kanban board can be easily created within Google Drive, too.
3) Set Goals
Setting goals is important to improving teamwork. The team should set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. By including all team members in setting and agreeing upon these goals at an early stage of a project or company startup, you’ll ensure buy-in from everyone involved. This buy-in will help create better communication throughout your business and produce more successful results. Once you have clear team collaboration goals set, it’s vital to work with your team to come up with an effective method of achieving those goals together. There are a number of great team collaboration software products available to help teams work together more efficiently than ever before so there’s no excuse not to get started today!
4) Use Actionable Analytics
One powerful way to improve teamwork is to use actionable analytics. Team members can work more effectively and efficiently if they have clear data on their strengths, weaknesses, and development opportunities. They’ll also get a better sense of what they are doing right as well as where they can improve. The key to making actionable analytics work is developing a culture of trust among team members so that each person feels comfortable sharing their insights with others and taking feedback from others. If you want team members who understand their own performance levels, you’ll need to ensure your organisation has regular meetings where individuals review their progress against goals. This simple act can make a huge difference in improving teamwork over time because it encourages honest discussions about what works best and why.
5) Automate Administrative Tasks
Too many tasks to juggle? Instead of delegating specific work items, create an automated system so that various activities such as training or updating are handled automatically. For example, set up a training calendar that your team can access, where they can sign up to take a certain course at their convenience. Or have an administrative assistant send out reminders and updates on client accounts every Monday morning. Even if you’re working in a more creative field, automating tasks will save time and energy while allowing you to spend less time trying to wrangle other people into getting things done!
6) Build Trust Within Your Team
If your team is a bunch of people who don’t know each other well, you’ll have to help them trust one another. A great way to do that is to set up small, simple tasks where they can accomplish something together and then share what they learned. And you want to make sure that it’s something they can do without relying on each other—even if that means an extra step or two. Doing a group project where everyone has to work together from beginning to end isn’t going to work when you first start getting used to working with each other; instead, individual tasks are much more effective at building trust within your team.
7) Manage Distractions
You might not think of distractions as a barrier to your team’s success, but they are. In fact, things like social media, email and other external factors can really affect your team’s overall productivity. Some ideas to help alleviate these distractions: – You could create a Do Not Disturb work zone where everyone can focus without being distracted by their phone or messages. Next time you have a meeting, put all devices in a basket at the beginning so everyone is focused on what’s happening in that room. – Post signs throughout your office space that read Always Be Present—Not Connected and Social Media Breaks Are For Rejuvenating Not Browsing!
8) Take Notes in One Place
One of our best practices is to keep everything in one place. And we don’t mean your inbox! One easy way to stay organised and make it easier on your team members is to use a project management tool such as Wrike or Basecamp. When you can assign tasks and share files with people in real time, everyone stays on track (and nothing falls through the cracks).
9) Focus on Achieving Individual Goals
When building teams, remember it’s all about growing and learning together. In a field as dynamic as organisational psychology, you’ll find you may need to change your strategy and techniques based on changing team members. Don’t let a failure in one area reflect on all of your efforts to build better teams; think big but start small and plan carefully. Create goals that are worthwhile but not unattainable, know when your strategy has failed and how to go about regrouping after that happens.
10) Start Small, Think Big
No matter how small or large your team, being productive and staying organised are two things everyone can benefit from. Pick one or two changes you can make today to improve collaboration and get started on that. Then, set a reminder in a few months to check back in and see if you’ve implemented any more of these 10 tips. By 2022, you’ll have a collaborative powerhouse on your hands.
Final Thought
Never underestimate how much of an impact our attitudes have on others. As true leaders, we need to make sure that our attitudes are positive and work-focused. We’ll not only be helping those around us to find solutions, but also help them grow as individuals. I hope these words have helped you reflect on your own attitude and inspire change, if needed. And remember: There is no better way to lead than by inspiring those around you.
